Disappearing Bruschetta

Here's a super fast recipe for the best bruschetta ever. It uses fresh ingredients that are in season now, either in your very own garden or at your local farmer's market. I've served this hors d' oeuvres to friends and family several times this month, all with rave reviews! The truth is, it's really very easy. And I must admit, sometimes my husband and I have a whole plate of this for dinner. After all, it covers three of the main food groups, so I have no qualms about serving this as a meal in and of itself.

To prepare this dish, you will need tomatoes, basil, olive oil, a bulb of garlic, kosher salt and pepper, a loaf of artisan bread, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Start with: an apron full of sun-ripened tomatoes and several sprigs of basil of any variety. I usually use 4-6 medium tomatoes and an equal number of sprigs of basil. Head indoors and chop the tomatoes coarsely; remove the basil leaves from the stems and also chop them into small (1/4 inch) pieces. Combine in a bowl and set aside.

Next, get out a bulb of garlic and be prepared to use A LOT! This is the step that makes the dish. You can't skimp on the garlic and end up with mouth-watering bruschetta. I usually use one large clove of garlic per medium sized tomato; thus, if I use 4 tomatoes I use 4 large cloves of garlic. If you're thinking of making this for a first date, you may want to reconsider! You will sense a faint personal scent of Eau de Garlic the next morning, but trust me, it will be worth it.

Speaking of garlic (and why did no one ever teach me this until I started watching the Food Network?) the best way to chop garlic is to peel each clove and then smash it really hard on the cutting board by placing it between the wood and the flat side of a chef's knife. Pound the knife with your fist [with a lot of pressure but careful to avoid the blade] to flatten each clove. This helps extract the extra oils in the garlic, you have virtually no waste, and it also makes it much easier to mince into very small particles. I prepare all my garlic this way now-- and an added bonus is no more fumbling to wash the messy garlic press!

Add minced garlic cloves to tomato and basil mixture. Toss with a splash of good olive oil and a very generous sprinkling of kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper. The salt and pepper bring out the flavor of the tomatoes, while the garlic and oil mix and give off a heavenly aroma. Set mixture aside. Pour yourself a glass of wine and heat up your grill.

Once the grill is heated and cleaned, turn off the back burners and turn the front burner to low. You want to use indirect heat to keep from burning your bread. Slice a loaf of crusty artisan bread or a baguette into 1/2 inch slices diagonally along the loaf. Butter one side of each slice liberally. Place each slice of bread buttered slice down onto the grill. Quickly, place a 1/4 inch thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on each piece of bread. Pull the lid down over the bread so that the cheese melts on top as the bottoms turn golden brown. With a spatula, remove each piece of bread as soon as the bottom is crisp and the cheese is gooey.

Rest assured that if you aren't the grilling type, you can just as easily cook this in the oven under the broiler or on the stove. Just last weekend my family stayed at the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages where my husband and I prepared this on a tiny electric burner, just in time for sea-side happy hour! (Yes, I brought along lots of fresh produce from PSF.) Mmmmmm...

Immediately after removing from heat, top melted cheese side of each slice of bread with a generous scoop of prepared tomato mixture. Serve promptly so the juices from the tomatoes don't make the bread soggy.

If you serve this to a group, stick around to be sure you get your fair share of the bounty! I assure you that if you step away from the platter for even a few minutes, the bruschetta will have mysteriously disappeared!